Anorak

Sports Category

Sports news, commentary and scores with wit and added value. We compare and contrast the best and worst sports reporting in the mainstream press, blogs, TV and online. We love the English Premier League (Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United and Manchester City) and all things football but we cover cricket, rugby, the Olympics, tennis, golf, F1 and highlights of the sporting year.

SO. FIFA is not the hot bed of love and equality we thought it was. It turns out that football is run by greed. John Oliver told of his shock and dismay on Last Week Tonight:

The negative publicity has been so overwhelming that even some of the World Cup’s biggest and longest-serving sponsors, including Adidas and Sony, have expressed concern. “The negative tenor of the public debate around FIFA at the moment is neither good for football nor for FIFA and its partners,” a spokesman for Adidas toldThe Guardian. Perhaps corporate pressure will accomplish what mockery and muckraking have failed to do: convince FIFA to reform.

TRANSFER Balls: The Press is talking about Lorenzo Insigne heading to Arsenal from Napoli. TalkSport calls him “Italy’s Messi” He must be good.

The Mirror reports:

[Agent] Antonio Ottaiano has declared: “We take into account the praising reports that Wenger has given about the player. We are honoured that a club like Arsenal could have Lorenzo on their wish list. I don’t see that there can be any further developments unless Arsenal speak to Napoli directly and Napoli change their view on Lorenzo’s role here.”

TRANSFER Balls – more news from the Daily Fabreags. Following the Daily Star and TalkSports‘ “exclusive” news that Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas has passed a medical and signed for Chelsea, the Mirror today tells its readers that, er, he hasn’t:

So. Jose Mourinho is “interested” in Fabregas. Well, so too as ManCity, Manchester United, Liverpool and Zenit St Petersburg , according to the Press.

Th story do far: the Barcelona player has been linked with moves for Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. It’s a Transfer Balls Royal Flush: all the big clubs covered with not a single fact to support the links.

Louis van Gaal has made Kevin Strootman a £30m January target for Manchester United – and the midfielder would be open to the move should Roma consider it, although there is yet to be any official contact between the clubs.

Asked about the link with PSG, he said: “If you got to know me you’d know I’m not someone who is disturbed by it. Every year they say I’m everywhere. It’s part of the job. I focus on the World Cup which is much more important than what is said in the papers.”

TRANSFER Balls: Having been linked in the media with a transfer from Barcelona to Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, the Telegraph brings news that Cesc Fabregas is wanted by…Chelsea. The aim in Transfer Balls is for the Press to link every top player with all the big English clubs. So. Well done, Fleet Street.

Writes the Tele:

Exclusive: Jose Mourinho wants Spain World Cup midfielder Cesc Fabregas to replace Frank Lampard, who has released a statement saying he has officially left Chelsea